27 November 2015

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude

This month, as I’ve focused on my relationship with gratitude, I’ve experienced how powerful a practice it can be.

It’s easy for me to take so much for granted.  It’s natural to do so.  The ordinary things in life can drop to the background, unnoticed, seemingly unremarkable.  Sometimes it’s a little lurch of fear about losing those things that can remind me how much I depend on them.  Sometimes it’s just the angle of the light coming through the kitchen window or a chance glance at a face I care about that brings me back into touch with my good fortune.

I want to cherish these moments, to nurture them and let them stop me in my tracks with unbridled appreciation.

Loving attention feels so good—both to give and to receive.  I find this to be true with people.  And I sense it to be equally true with the world in general.  Stopping to savor the extravagance of a flower, the twitter of a bird, the giggles of a child, these things are all aspects of life’s miraculous bounty.  Discovering small, ‘ordinary’ beauties increases gratitude, amplifies joy.  It seems to me to be a way of honoring, of bowing down in respect and recognition, and also raising up in celebration for the gifts of life.

Gratitude is twofold–love coming to visit us and love running out to greet a welcome guest. ~ Henry Van Dyke